Saturday, September 13, 2014

The Sad Truth About Me And The 2014 Yankees

I have to give major props to my cohorts here at The Greedy Pinstripes. In the 36+ years that I've been alive the Yankees have had plenty of bad seasons. For example, from 1990 through 1992 the Yankees finished the seasons 21, 20, and 20 games out of first place (keep in mind that there were only two divisions, the east and west, at the time). But 2014 has been the most trying Yankee season for me.

Sadly, there are a lot of people that would rather watch this show for three hours straight than any Yankees game from 2014.

At their current rate, the Yankees could finish with their worst record in 22 years, and if it wasn't for some great pitching this year, things could be even worse (while their true winning percentage is .514, their Pythagorean winning percentage is .477).

They're doing this with the oldest average age of their hitters ever (32.7, actually tied with the 2012 team). When your offense was the biggest problem this season, that is definitely not what you want to see.

Alex Rodriguez is signed for three more years. Not only has he only played 44 games the past two years, but he'll turn 40 in July, and I'm not confident he'd be much better than a replacement level player when he does return.

To further add to the contract situation, Mark Teixeira is signed for two more years, Brian McCann has four more years remaining on his deal, CC Sabathia has at least two more seasons to go, Carlos Beltran has two more years left, and Jacoby Ellsbury has at least six more years on his contract. As a matter of fact Jacoby is the only player among them that I'm the least bit okay with (although I think McCann is going to bounce back and have a nice season in 2015).

While I don't have any real problem with Brian Cashman, I'm not sure he's the guy to guide the team from here on out. Cashman has been able to spend big money to build teams, but the best players are no longer reaching free agency due to teams being more willing to sign players to extensions. And face it... the Yankees haven't had to build their team from within since the Core Four were in the minors, which was before Cashman took over the GM role. I'm not saying Brian can't do it, and will continue to trade away young stars like Aaron Judge, but the past shows otherwise.

However, regardless of those things, I am looking forward to 2015 and the future. And here's why...

  1. I talked about teams signing players to extensions, and the Yankees did just that with Brett Gardner... a guy that's outperformed his salary by a lot the past two years. Let's hope they continue to do so.
  2. The team defense has gotten a lot better. Ellsbury and Gardner alone could make for an above average outfield defense, but add in an adequate right fielder and the outfield looks excellent. Brian McCann is a really good catcher, the team could very well bring back a great third baseman in Chase Headley, and Martin Prado is not only a good fielder but is very versatile as well.
  3. As much as I love Derek Jeter, you can't deny that his defense and hitting (particularly in the #2 spot on the order) has hurt the team. Along with the Captain, the Yankees no longer have to worry about aging legends.
  4. The team does have prospects that could be key contributors in the future, such as Aaron Judge, Luis Severino, and Gary Sanchez, Not to mention younger players like Dellin Betances and Masahiro Tanaka who are already doing great in the majors.
  5. Whether it's in free agency or on the international market, the team still has the ability to spend. It may not have worked out for the 2014 team, but having deep pockets can still come in handy.

So while you don't see much of me these days, that's going to change.

This guy could very well be part of the biggest story this offseason.

4 comments:

  1. Bryan, hope to have you back soon! Daniel has had to put up with us...almost single handedly. He has done a very good job while you have been busy with other things but, he could use your help.
    Come on down or what ever they say! lol

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    1. Things have calmed down quite a bit for me, so I hope to be around a lot more.

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    2. Damn, we might get the bunch of you guys writing soon, that's good news, Bryan!

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    3. Definitely, we need you back buddy.

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)